Sorting method and system with dynamically re-allocated sortation bins

Abstract

A sorter system includes a plurality of sortation bins with a feed path connected to the plurality of sortation bins for transporting media items to destination sortation bins. A controller is connected to control the plurality of sortation bins and is operable during a sortation process to reassign the destination sortation bin into which a media item is sorted. The system operation may employ a method for sorting media items where a plurality of media items are fed onto a transport system for sortation. Each media items is sorted into a destination sortation bin of a plurality of sortation bins connected to said transport system. Destination sortation bins for media items are dynamically reassigned based of the determined status of the media items in the sortation bins. The status of media items is sensed in each of said plurality of sortation bins may be determined based on sensors associated with the equipment or tracked by a controller or other techniques which track the mail pieces being processed. Destination sortation bins may be assigned to accommodate overflow capacity from existing bins thereby creating larger effective bins. They may also be assigned to allow the reuse of existing bins thereby creating a sortation system with a greater effective number of sortation bins.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to media handling systems and more particularly to a sorting system and method having dynamically re-allocated sortation bins.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Sortation systems, such as mail piece sorting equipment, are often large and complex systems having a large number of sortation bins. To sort mail for delivery by a postal service or private carrier may involve equipment having hundreds of sortation bins. This is to enable sortations that will organize the mail pieces into a delivery order sequence for the mail delivery person. The sortation process is often a multiple pass radix-type sortation algorithm process. Sortation equipment may be manufactured with a number of sortation bins to accommodate the largest number of sortation separations that may be required. In such cases, many of the sortation bins are not required for the most of the sortation applications. The equipment and the required space for the equipment c...

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